Battle of Pydna

The Battle of Pydna was fought between a Roman army under Lucius Aemilius Paullus and the Macedonian army of King Perseus of Macedon at Pydna in Macedonia on 22 June 168 BC during the Third Macedonian War. The flexible Roman legions overcame the rigid Macedonian phalanges, annihilating the Macedonian army, capturing King Perseus, and conquering Macedonia as a Roman province.

Background
After his capitulation at Cynoscephalae in 197 BC, King Philip V of Macedon was allowed to remain in power, albeit as a client of Rome. Following Philip's death in 179 BC, however, his son, Perseus, was less willing to accept Roman control. An ambitious man, King Perseus began to restore Macedon as a regional power. The Romans, concerned that their de facto control over Greece would be eroded, declared war. After campaigning across the country, the two armies finally met near the coastal town of Pydna.

Battle
A Roman army under Lucius Aemilius Paullus was sent into Macedon to confront Perseus. After days of maneuvering, the two armies faced each other at Pydna. The Romans, camped in the hills, sent a foraging party too close to the Macedonian line. A skirmish broke out, and increasing numbers of men from either side were drawn in to the fighting. The Romans began to advance, and King Perseus readied his forces.

The two centers engaged at 3:00 PM, with the Macedonians advancing on the Romans a short distance from the Roman camp. Paullus was alarmed and amazed by the formation of the Roman phalanx, and the Romans were forced to retreat by a thick bristle of pikes. However, as the phalanx pushed forwards, the ground became more uneven as it moved into the foothills, and the line lost its cohesion. Paullus now ordered the legions into the gaps, attacking the phalangites on their exposed flanks. The longer Roman sword and heavier shield prevailed over the Macedonian soldiers in close combat, and Perseus and his cavalry retreated without fighting, having seen the rest of his army collapse. His 3,000-strong Guard fought to the death, and the Macedonians suffered 20,000 dead and 11,000 captured. The battle showed the victory of the Roman legion's flexibility over the rigid Macedonian phalanx, and Macedon was annexed by Rome after Perseus' surrender.